The current fluency gaps existing in the mathematics classroom can cause significant deficiency in understanding along a child’s academic journey and the effects are only getting worse. According to the webinar “Algebra Readiness in the Face of Fluency Gaps: Leading to Meet New Expectations in Secondary Mathematics,” presented by Kevin Baird, gaps can be closed by implementing more inquiry-based questions into the classroom, presenting rigorous content and increasing high expectations, and focusing on fluency skills. One must first, however, learn how the gaps are continuing to exist before working to close them.

Students have been experiencing a misalignment between their practice and summative assessments. Teachers, instead of allowing for mastery of skill at the base level, give students mediocre or too easy of problems at the age level and sequence of skill that Common Core dictates, yet distributes difficult examinations and moves on when students are still confused. Basically, a teacher distributes eighth grade math problems to an eighth grader who sits at a sixth-grade competency level. According to Baird, students who fall behind around the fourth-grade level who require more exposure to remedial ideas, have a 6% chance of taking their education into their own hands and being at the right level by the time they hit eighth grade. Those same students have a projection of 2% heading into twelfth grade.

Students need more differentiated learning before newer and more challenging work is piled on. Once students gain mastery of skill regarding baseline concepts and can properly draw or write their ideas about a certain concept, they can be given more rigorous and exciting course work. Every student has the potential to solve problems they’ve never seen before but supplying them with a weak toolbox or teaching toward standardized tests enables the gap trend. It’s important to create a welcoming classroom environment that builds up weaknesses to promote the belief of incredible strength.

Watch the webinar here: http://home.edweb.net/webinar/algebra-readiness-secondary-mathematics/